Felipe Barbosa and Rosana Ricalde form one of Rio de Janeiro’s most dynamic art power-couples. Alongside the publicist and collector Álvaro Figueiredo, they opened the contemporary art gallery Cosmocopa in 2011. Inspired by the long-standing collaboration between the trio, and by legendary Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica, the gallery has at the heart of its mission statement a commitment to the furthering of contemporary Brazilian art and research through a diverse range of artists including Leila Danziger, Wilton Montenegro and Hugo Honayek.

Composed of two distinct spaces, one is an exhibition space and the second an archive that, like the exhibition space, is in a constant state of flux and renewal. Cosmocopa resides in the fascinating and endlessly kitsch Copacabana City Shopping Centre, a badly lit and shabby shopping mall that houses some of the most eclectic and unusual shops in Rio de Janeiro. Specializing in antiquities of all kinds, these shops provide an fascinating context for the contemporary art gallery.